408
LETTERS.
[ 180 j.
N.W. winds, (and, it appears, that the French Fleet must havehad strong gales Easterly). After allowing forty-eight hoursfor the possibility of the Enemy passing round the South endof Sardinia I proceeded off Sicily , sending Ships to Palermo and Naples for information.
On Tuesday the 9th, I made sail from the West end ofSicily for the Westward, but, to this moment, I have onlyadvanced sixty-five leagues, being only off Toro, owing tovery bad weather, and have just received the account of theEnemy having passed the Straits the 8th of April. I atnpursuing my route to the Westward and must be guided bywhat I hear when I get off Gibraltar . I shall leave CaptainCapel with five Frigates and the Small Craft stationed at Malta to protect our Commerce, and to prevent the French sendingTroops by sea. I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.
Nelson and Bronte.
TO CAPTAIN THE HONOURABLE THOMAS BLADEN CAPEL,
H. M. SHIP PHCEBE.
[From a Copy in the Admiralty, aud Autograph draught, in the possession ofMiss Bolton, of Burnham.]
Victory, at Sea , 18th April, 1805.
Whereas, from the information I have received that theEnemy’s Fleet, which was seen off Cape de Gatte on the 7thinstant, passed through the Straits on the day following, Iam proceeding with the Fleet under my command as ex-peditiously as possible to the Westward in pursuit of them;and it being very probable that they may have left someFrigates and other Vessels of War at Toulon , for the purposeof convoying Troops either to Sardinia , Naples, Sicily , orEgypt , you are hereby required and directed to take hisMajesty’s Ships named in the margin 1 under your command,and station yourself off the Island of Toro, and between thatand Maritimo, for the purpose of intercepting any Expeditionwhich the Enemy may attempt against Sardinia , Sicily , orEgypt . With respect to Sicily , I should hope the NeapolitanSquadron will sufficiently protect that Island , and have writtenMr. Elliot and Sir John Acton on this subject. With regard